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annamagnani
Reviews
The Mandalorian: Chapter 5: The Gunslinger (2019)
Thank God for Amy Sedaris.
This episode felt a bit like a throwaway although I imagine some plot point is built on in future episodes. The immediate takeaway was how nepotism can really spoil a project and in this case it's the casting of Jake Cannavale as The Gunslinger. Hoo-boy he STUNK. His performance was so bad I had to Google who are his parents because them being in the biz was the ONLY explanation for how he could have been cast in this role. I get wanting to cultivate a young audience but my God, there have to be better cute young actors out there whose careers could have been launched by this part.
Thankfully Amy Sedaris was in the mix and had a couple of moments to, if not shine, at least pivot from the Cannavale debacle. If only Jerri Blank was given such a chance to go to trade school she might have avoided her wayward path.
Team America: World Police (2004)
A joke that goes on too long...
I certainly laughed at times watching this movie but by the time it was over, I was thoroughly bored. It really would have made a much better short film or even a very long skit. I started to feel like I was trapped in the basement of a college drop-out stoner who watches too much CNN. There are a couple of standout moments but I think a person could take a leak, make some popcorn and take a phone call and still get the gist. As much as Parker and Stone jab at self-indulgent Hollywood stars, they really should have tightened their own belts in terms of editing. Of course the puppets are impressive and the created sets were really interesting. At some point though, who cares? It's the kind of movie that while I'm glad it was made, I wish it were more complex. Perhaps that would be possible with more a more nuanced director but Parker and Stone seem content to just throw spitballs.
Wimbledon (2004)
Film isn't worth the time.
The friend I saw "Wimbledon" with joked that whoever wrote it must have googled "cliches" and then tossed every one of them in this sorry excuse for a romantic comedy. So banal it's offensive. Not even Paul Bettany's sexy overbite could save it. Its half-hearted effort at combining sports with a love story annoyed me to no end. Hardly a decent shot, let alone sequence, of any actual tennis play and dialog about the game amounted to such trite wisdom as "play through the pain." It appears the film makers targeted this film towards young women, assuming they'd identify with Kirsten Dunst. Sure...an arrogant, hothead trollop who'll give up her dream for a quick shag.
In the Cut (2003)
give it time to work on you
It's an underrated film...much more about mood and tone than standard Hollywood suspense fair. It's a mature treatment of adult sexuality...exploring characters who are suspicious of but still compelled to connect with others. Worth the time if one is willing to be quietly affected. Some of the best moments in the film are of Meg Ryan's character, Frannie, on the subway. She reads passages from literature that are used as sort of PSA's for literacy. I was touched by the risk of showing that kind of moment to the audience. It's a moment likely to be overlooked or overly dwelled upon...hoping to find some clue to the mystery of "who did it." To me, they were so much more about showing the childlike fascination with language Frannie is fueled by. A really wonderful counterpoint to her hardened stance towards the men in her life.